Analysis of the good, bad, and embarrassing movies from my personal collection.

Monday, December 15, 2014

"Boyhood" Tops 2014 Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards

The Indiana Film Journalists Association, an organization of writers dedicated to promoting quality film criticism in the Hoosier State, is proud to announce its annual film awards for 2014.

"Boyhood" won top honors, taking the prize for Best Film and earning a total of three awards. Richard Linklater won in the Best Director category, and the film also took the Original Vision award, which recognizes a film that is especially innovative or groundbreaking.

"Whiplash," which was the runner-up for Best Film, won two awards: Damien Chazelle's script in the Best Adapted Screenplay race, and J.K. Simmons for Best Supporting Actor.

"The Grand Budapest Hotel" also won two awards: Ralph Fiennes was named Best Actor, and Wes Andersonearned the Best Original Screenplay prize.

Besides the winner and runner-up for Best Film, eight other movies were named Finalists in that category, cumulatively representing Indiana film critics' picks for the 10 best movies of 2014. (See full list below.)

Reese Witherspoon took Best Actress honors for "Wild," while Jessica Chastain took Best Supporting Actress for "A Most Violent Year."

In the inaugural vote for the newest category, Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance, Andy Serkis won for his work on "The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes." The IFJA is the only critics group in the U.S. to give out an award for nonrepresentational acting.

"The LEGO Movie" won Best Animated Feature, "Two Days, One Night" took the prize for Best Foreign Language Film and "Life Itself" took Best Documentary.

The Hoosier Award, which recognizes a significant cinematic contribution by a person or persons with roots in Indiana, or a film that depicts Hoosier State locales and stories, went to film historian and preservationist Eric Grayson.

IFJA members issued this statement with regard to the Hoosier Award: "For more than a decade, Grayson has worked tirelessly to collect, restore and exhibit movies on celluloid film, often for little to no pay or recognition. We commend his efforts to preserve movies in their original state and show them to people who share his passion for cinema. Countless films would have been lost to the ages were it not for his efforts."

The following is a complete list of honored films:

Best Film

Winner: "Boyhood"

Runner-up: "Whiplash"

Other Finalists (listed alphabetically):

"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

"Guardians of the Galaxy"

"The Imitation Game"

"Life Itself"

"Locke"

"A Most Violent Year"

"St. Vincent"

Best Animated Feature

Winner: "The LEGO Movie"

Runner-Up: "The Boxtrolls "

Best Foreign Language Film

Winner: "Two Days, One Night"

Runner-Up: "Ida"

Best Documentary

Winner: "Life Itself"

Runner-Up: "An Honest Liar"

Best Original Screenplay

Winner: Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Runner-up: Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

Best Adapted Screenplay

Winner: Damien Chazelle, "Whiplash"

Runner-up: Graham Moore, "The Imitation Game"

Best Director

Winner: Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

Runner-up: Damien Chazelle, "Whiplash"

Best Actress

Winner: Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"

Runner-up: Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"

Best Supporting Actress

Winner: Jessica Chastain "A Most Violent Year"

Runner-up: Melissa McCarthy, "St. Vincent"

Best Actor

Winner: Ralph Fiennes, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Runner-up: Tom Hardy, "Locke"

Best Supporting Actor

Winner: J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Runner-up: Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"

Best Musical Score

Winner: Mica Levi, "Under the Skin"

Runner-up: Alexandre Desplat, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Original Vision Award

Winner: "Boyhood"

Runner-up: "Under the Skin"

The Hoosier Award

Winner: Eric Grayson, film historian and preservationist

(As a special award, no runner-up is declared in this category.)

About IFJA: The Indiana Film Journalists Association was established in February 2009. Members must reside in the Hoosier State and produce consistent, quality film criticism or commentary in any medium.